Freeview’s upcoming connected TV service will not have a mandated user interface, according to Ilse Howling, MD, connected TV, Digital UK.
However, it will specify core functionality that users will value.
The service, which has the working title Freeview Connect, was first announced this June and will be produced jointly by Freeview and Digital UK, which are sister companies.
It will give viewers access to catch-up services without being tied to a broadband provider.
Howling said that the technical spec for the service is now available and manufacturers can download it from the website.
It is based on open international standards and includes HbbTV 2.0. Arqiva will meanwhile develop the central data system to sit at the heart of consumer functionality.
She added that once Freeview Connect is launched it would fulfill customers needs, allowing them to find programmes they want to watch more quickly.
It would also provide a consistent offer of the country’s best catch-up services.
Owen Jenkinson, head of marketing, Freeview, said that the aim is to make Freeview Connect into a mainstream service.
In a Q&A session, both he and Howling argued that the service would be very different to YouView.
